Wednesday, November 28, 2007

An interview with Park Yeonghun, 9-dan who entered the final match of the Samsung World Go Championship after beating Gu Li, 9-dan (China) with 2-1 score.

Congratulations! What can you tell us about your match with Gu Li?All 3 games were difficult for me. Gu Li's lead in last two games was obvious, but he finished them passively and gave me chances in yose. He did not make any big mistakes, but made some dubious moves in endgame.

If we check the games, we can see that Gu Li, 9-dan has an outstanding middlegame power. Is it true?Yes, his Go is powerful. I tried to keep my games simple, but I was not able to control them.

Why did you stay in the same room with Choi Wongyoung, 5-dan in the hotel?I think, it's better to stay with someone, instead of staying alone. Also it's possible to study Go together and prepare for your games.

You will play the final match with Lee Sedol, 9-dan. What do you think about your chances?I am currently 0-2 behind in the GS Galtex match against Lee. He is a very hard opponent and I know, that my chances are smaller. Any way, I will try to make my best.

About

Go is perhaps the oldest board game in the world. The rules are very simple, and you can learn them in a few minutes - but they lead to a countless number of intriguing patterns and clever maneuvers. Learning to play is easy, but learning to play well requires much study and practice. The best way to learn, especially at the beginning, is simply to play games and become familiar with the patterns.